Up until the early twentieth century citizens could only travel from one place to another with
the help of public transportation infrastructure which left its imprint on the growing cities
of that era. The required transit corridors cut through the sprawling neighborhoods. The
invention of the Otto engine marked the beginning of a metropolitan infrastructure revolution
that went far beyond urban areas carved up by thoroughfares. Cities designed for private car
ownership were a predominant feature of modernism. Automobiles and their demands on road space
provided a universal blueprint for the entire built environment. The climate crisis has led to
criticism of the continuous expansion of private mobility. This debate is only just beginning
yet it is already starting to have an impact on our accustomed freedom in terms of
transportation. The paradigm shift in this domain entails new challenges and offers enormous
opportunities for public space. The crucial question is how transportation and urban planners
will deal with structures buildings and squares that have grown organically over time.
